TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1350, 2 July 1885, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

A seven-roomed house owned and occupied by J. E. Hall, at Auckland, was totally destroyed by fire yeaterdav. Insurances, £6OO in the Standard Office. In the Auckland Supreme Court the power of the Licensing Committee to cancel the Cosmopolitan Hotel license, on the general ground that the houße was not required in the neighboihood, was challenged by aD application to compel the Committee to hear evidence or grant the license. Judge Gillies, without calling on the other side for a reply, said it was clear that the Committee had the power, and over-ruled the motion with costs. This is a great victory for teetotal benchee.

At the Presbytery, Auckland, the Rev. T. VV. Dunn appeared to explain his action in going on a lecturing tour throughout New Zealand, when granted leave to visit his mother in England. After hearing his explanation, a resolution was carried declaring that Mr Dunn had committed an error of judgment, and requiring him to return to his church at Pukekohe immediately. The fire in the Gear Meat Preserving Company's Buildings is supposed to have originated by heat from one of the boilers setting fire to the woodwork. A short time ago the same building was found on fire from same cause. The total insurance on the building, plant, stock and fittings is £3388. The amount of damage is not yet estimated.

Customs duties collected last month at Chmtchurch amounted to £21,361, ae gainst £13,845 the previous June; beer duly for last month £757, as against £729 the previous June. The total duties for June quarter »mounted to £50,122 ; same quarter, 1884, £45,095. S. 8. Hutchinson, who was arrested at Auckland for fraudulent insolvency, came up at Dunedin on Monday for examination. The examination did not disclose anything very new. Having built the Caversham gasworks with the assistance of the Bank and ftoyse, Stead, and Co., they were offered to Hutchinson for £45,000, and he floated a company in London, to which he sold them for £IOO,OOO, but ho only received in cash £4,000. In the Police Court, 'Dunedin, yesterday, Hutchinson was remanded for a week. No evidence was taken, and he was admitted to bail.

Margaret McQuord, a servant at Mr Pierce Lanigan's, in Ponsonby, Auckland, was found dead in a watei-clo*et on Sunday, with a newly-born infant alongside her. Death resulted from the loss of blood in child-birth.

John Bradley, employed by Mr Crowther, of Auckland, was thrown from the box seat of a cab on Sunday, and sustained injuries to the spine, He died on Monday.

During the progress of a particularly interesting case in the Bankruptcy Court, Wellington, on Monday, Mr Justice Richmond said he be glad to find that the duty of taking notes of the evidence had been taken away from him and placed on the shoulderd of. shorthand writers. Mr Travcrs, after pointing out that the idea of employing shorthand writers came from America, remarked that he had his doubts as to his efficiency of-the system introduced in this country. His Honor said it was something singular th«.t in New Zealand people who were most concerned were barely consulted when a change was contemplated. His opinion was, if a writer was able to take the notes which the Judge was obliged to take, then a hhorthand writer was quite fit to occupy the Judge's seat. He thought, however, the system was not such a good one as many believed it to be. The annual report of the Union Insurance Company shows a credit balance of £20,285. It is proposed to pay the usual annual dividend of 10 per cent, absorbing £IO,OOO, and carry £10,285 forward to next- year.

At a special meeting of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association the following resolution was carried :—'" That it is desirable in the opinion of this meeting that direct steam communication 3hould be opened up with Queensland, and that the cooperation of the kindred Associations in the South Island be invited for the purpose of obtaining from Government a subsidy for a direct steamer between New Zealand ports and Queensland.'

The Wakatipu arrived at Port Chalmers yesterday. She left Newcastle at 4 p.m. on June 25th, and had strong westerly winds and hi<rh aeas until the 28th. She passed the Solandera at midnight on 29th, and experienced fino weather.—The Dnrisdeer, barque, from London, was at the Headß, yesterday, all well.

John Lawson, arrested for larceny, escaped from the custody of Detectire Edie hy leaping from a train on Saturday night while the guard was issuing tickets inside the door of the carriage. The police have scoured the locality without success for the escapee, who was handcuffed. It is supposed he is hiding in the bush in the vicinity of Oteramaika station (Southland).

Nineteen Chinamen w«re arrested last Sunday night whilst playing fan-'an in a Chinese gambling-house in Wakefield S'reet, Auckland, The keeper of the house, Chang Kee, was fined £5 and costs, and eighteen other offenders 10a and costs.

There has been forwarded to Wellington from Auckland the first instalment of petitions in favour of prohibiting barmaids from serving in hotels. Odb petition sent to Mr Peacock, contains 6317 names of adult persons, and the second to the Hon. H. Chamberlain, 6297 names. Pi ice, the editor of the Napier Telegrnph, has obtained a verdict against the Napier Evening News of £IOO damages for libel. Price was a candidate in the publicans' interest at the last Licensing Election, and the News hinted that he was too lavish in his use of whisky, and would make good a inspector of liquors. At Wellington on Tuesday, Wm. Saden, previously convicted of sly grog-selling in connection with brothels, was fined £SO, or three months' impiisoment for sly grog-selling.

The Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Railway Company have authorised the Directors to make such arrangement aa they may think fit for the sale to Government of the Company's property subject to the approval of Parliament. The annual report shows traffic receipts £6392, or £1399 in excess of working expenses, but there was a debit balance of £11,606 against which waa set rates unrecoverable £11,697. A c»se of some importance as affecting the interpretation of the new Bankruptcy Act "vith regard to fraudulent preference, was heard before Mr Justice Johnston in Christchurch on Tuesday. J. M. Morgan, a bankrupt hotelkeeper, had made a payment of £IOO to Vincent and Co., one of his creditors, about six weeks before his bankruptcy. The Official Assignee contended that under clause 27 of the amended Act of 1884, this amounted to a fraudulent preference. His Honor found that the payment had not been voluntary on the debtor's part, but the result of pressure by the creditors, and proper effect could Dot be given to the words of the section unless it was a voluntary payment and not one to get rid of the debt. The Official Assignee's motion to declare the payment void was therefore refused.